Lady Knights Open Soccer Season Dec. 5 Against Kalaheo
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe last week of the regular season is about sending the seniors out the right way. For the Castle girls soccer team, that will be the theme throughout 2009-10, to hear longtime coach Mark Kane tell it.
“They’re a hard-working group of seniors who are committed to helping each other. They want to go out with a great year. We haven’t made it past the first round (of the OIA) in six years.
They want to get to the state tournament, which we haven’t done.”
Seniors Briana Bean, Rachel Klute and Shayla Hosaka are four-year starters, while Jill Hara will be entering her third season as a first-team player.
Hosaka was the team’s leading scorer last year and will be counted on to carry the load early on. “She’s the quarterback on the team - she does a great job,” Kane said. “She does all of our special kicks, penalty kicks, corner kicks.”
Bean and Klute will anchor the defense, meanwhile, with Hara having shifted from midfield to forward in an effort to apply her skills on the offensive end. “Both Briana and Rachel are very solid defenders,” he said. “Brianna has good athleticism. She used to be our central mid-fielder. You’re happy usually if your defenders can mark up and clear the ball. She can also initiate an attack, and you don’t often have a defender that can do that.
“Rachel is very athletic and very strong,” he added. “Every team needs someone who can play physical. Usually, our kids are tiny, but she has better size for a defender.
“Jill prefers mid-field; it gives her more room. But she’s willing to help the team out to by playing in front. She keeps everyone focused.”
Elsewhere on the roster, there is youth throughout, with six sophomores and five freshmen, most of whom could earn significant minutes by season’s end.
“We’re kind of in a rebuilding year with a lot of young players, but there’s a lot of potential,” said Kane, whose team finished 3-9 in the OIA East Red Conference last season.
“It’s a matter of bringing it out. You never know. The upside of our youth is that if they all come together at the same time, we’ll have a lot of happy stories. If they all don’t develop soon, it will take a lot longer (to contend). The big question is how they will respond to varsity soccer. The quicker they come around, the quicker we will come along. We may have a different team on the field every week, but we’ll get better. Our plan is to be ready in two months, heading into the playoffs.”
Defense has been Castle’s forte during the Kane era, and the emphasis is on that side of the ball once again this preseason. The team opens its OIA East Red slate Dec. 5 at Kalaheo.
“Defense always allows us to hang in. When the offense comes, it’s a plus.”
The difference between a good season and a great season could be tied to the Knights’ performance against what Kane sees as the league’s elite teams this year - Kalani, Kaiser, Moanalua and Kahuku, whom he calls “the dark horse” in the league race.
“We’ve struggled against all of them lately,” he said. “Hopefully, we can hold our own this year.”
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